Rochelle graduate's book turned into Hollywood football movie

Neil Hayes found a good story, and like he did back in the ’80s when he was a running back for the Rochelle Hubs, he ran with it.

Now his book, “When the Game Stands Tall,” is about to come out as a movie on the big screen under the same title. It opens in Rockford-area theaters Aug. 22.

After watching the final version in a private screening for the first time last week, Hayes says he’s ready to let the rest of the world in on what a couple of coaches and some high school kids from the Bay area in California taught him more than a decade ago.

“It’s always hard for the people who wrote the book to see it unfold as a movie; of course, it’s never exactly what you want,” Hayes said before seeing the final version in Naperville on July 17. He then added, “This came pretty close. I think it conveys the spirit of the program. That’s the thing it did real well, and that was the important thing to me.”

While Hayes’ book and the upcoming movie are based on the true story of the De La Salle High School football program and its 151-game winning streak, it’s the people involved, the bond they formed and how they went about forming it that makes it an inspiring story.

And getting that message out has been a long road for Hayes.

“It’s very satisfying, especially after all the time and effort I put into this,” Hayes said, before adding with a chuckle, “No one can ever say I mailed this one in.”

Hayes, a 1986 Rochelle graduate and the leading rusher for two years for the Hubs, has had plenty of ups and downs since taking on the book project. He sat down and spent a year putting it into words after gaining unrestricted access to the team in 2002, the senior year of future NFL star Maurice Jones-Drew.

Over the next couple of years, the head coach had a heart attack, the streak ended, and one of the star players was shot and killed, only adding to the emotional side of the story. During it all, Hayes was right there with them.

It was nearly a decade later that he got word that filmmakers wanted to make his book into a movie. Ever since then, he’s changed gears.

“Heck,” he said, “I couldn’t even have dreamed this big.”

Hayes moved out to California after graduating college from Northern Arizona and his career as a sports writer blossomed. The Contra Costa Times knew what they had, and he was quickly placed on the most important sports beats in the area.

One of them was De La Salle High School where the football team was enthralled in what later turned into a record-breaking winning streak. Hayes embedded himself in the team, shadowed the coach, Bob Ladouceur, and found the story within the story. While the winning streak was impressive, Hayes dug deep and found an even better angle.

“It’s about the message, the message of: It’s not all about winning,” said Hayes, who now lives in Naperville. “That came shining through with the book, and now the movie, and that’s really gratifying.”

Coach Ladouceur is a special man, according to Hayes, and he went about building a powerhouse in a special way. He never talked about winning or beating the other team. Instead, he taught life lessons whenever he got the chance.

In fact, something Ladouceur told Hayes early on in their relationship sparked him to write the book and gave rise to its eventual title.

“The game by itself doesn’t stand tall,” Ladouceur told him back in 2000. “Without intangibles, in a certain sense, it’s barbarism. The violence isn’t what attracts me to it. It’s getting kids to play together and get along with each other. The game should be a teaching tool. It doesn’t stand tall on its own.”

More than 35,000 copies of the book have been sold, starting with a paperback and hardcover copy, and a special movie edition was recently released. Hayes was also largely involved in an ESPN documentary, “The Greatest Streak,” that aired 10 years ago and will air again in August.

The Mandalay-Sony film stars Jim Caviezel as Ladouceur and Laura Dern as his wife, Bev Ladouceur. It was filmed in New Orleans from April 15 through June 15, 2013. That’s when Hayes quit his job as a sports reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times to accept a position on the set as the consultant — and as protector of the theme.

“When you’re writing the book, it’s your baby, and no one else’s,” Hayes said. “But then when you’re making the movie, it’s just like you’re part of the team now. It’s kind of like you lose control of it a little bit.”

Still, he appreciated having a hands-on role in the making of the film and believes he was able to make a difference — and even, at times, help hold onto the overall message.

After seeing the completed film, he couldn’t help but acknowledge that all of his hard work was worth it. And he doesn’t hesitate to rub it in to the doubters out there a little bit, too.

“I knew this was a great story, and no one believed me — I mean no one,” Hayes said. “This IS a great story, I think now everybody is going to really find out. So heck yeah: I told you so.”